Page 396 - AWSAR 2.0

372 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
Unearthing Treasures from the Indian Ocean
Ms. Ankeeta Amonkar*
Email: ankeetaamonkar9@gmail.com
The global ocean, with its untold mysteries, has been raising human consciousness. Covering an area of 72% of the earth is the most fragile ecosystem, with very few areas well explored. Ocean has always been a source of nourishment for the aquatic life, a major contributor to climate, and a storehouse for nonliving (minerals and ores) and living things.
Well, we all are fascinated by cartoons and movies that show treasures in the form of unimaginable wealth occurring on the ocean floor with fishes, whales, and sharks moving around. Yes, you have imagined it right. Bountiful booty still does exist; it just needs the right adventure to trace the wealth that persists on the ocean floor. But much before we could simply end up planning an adventure trip into
the oceans, in the year 1956, the United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) imposed a framework for the conservation and management of the marine resources in three different UNCLOS until 1982, and this came into force in the year 1994. The UNCLOS defined the responsibility and guidelines for the nations with regards to the exploration, exploitation, and management of oceans for marine resources.
The Indian Ocean has been gaining attention since the beginning of human civilization. This ocean is a major conduit for global trade connecting Northern Atlantic and Asia-Pacific. There are reports of 90,000 commercial fleets moving across this region per year. Apart from commerce, the littoral shelf covering the Indian continent is densely
* Ms. Ankeeta Amonkar, PhD Scholar from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, is pursuing her research on “Volcanogenic and Hydrothermal Evidence from the Central Indian Ocean Basin”. Her popular science story entitled “Unearthing Treasures from the Indian Ocean” has been selected for AWSAR Award